This is getting ridiculous in how far WG is willing to stretch the timeline for certain tank trees (Japan and China). The M1 prototypes were delivered and undergoing testing by 1976. There’s no legitimate excuse for not including those into the game, also.

It’s not just the timeline, it’s also the fact of whether or not they can realistically balance it, among other things. They’re not gonna put in a tank in such a way that it’s literally but a shadow of its real life counterpart, and in some cases such as with the Abrams, this would end up in the tank being rediculously OP even when balanced as best as possible.

I’m afraid, Type 61 will be underpovered for tier 9. It has paperthin hull armor (max.: 50 mm), a poor 90mm gun and 45km/h top speed. In paper, it would be the weakest medium in the game. OK, allready WG will get him a better gun, but it smells like a tier8 tank.